Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Parishioners of nine churches that have been ordered to merge or close by the Buffalo Diocese are continuing the fight against contributing to a clergy abuse settlement by going to the courts.
The group of plaintiffs consist of Blessed Sacrament in Tonawanda, Our Lady of Peace in Clarence, St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Cheektowaga, St. John XXIII in West Seneca, St. Bernadette in Orchard Park, All Saints Parish in Lockport, Holy Apostles Parish in Jamestown, Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish and Diocese Shrine in Bowmansville and St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta in Depew.
"These nine churches are only a small part of what the Diocese is grabbing from all the parishes in the entire nine counties of Western New York," said Mary Pruski of Save Our Buffalo Churches in an interview on WBEN on Thursday.
All nine are awaiting a judge's decision following a hearing earlier this week.
"We don't know the timeline. It could be by the end of the month which would be before the next bankruptcy hearing [in September]," Pruski said.
Pruski tells us the nine churches, though a small part of the Diocese, are standing for all churches that must pay their part of the abuse settlement.
"You just don't come in and take it because you can take it. You don't take our property because you can just take it. You don't close our schools because you can just take it," she added.
It doesn't appear the Diocese is budging, at least publicly. Pruski hopes the conversation though is different behind closed doors.